Former Vice President Joe Biden is slightly ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders among Democrats likely to vote in the upcoming South Carolina primary election, according to a new NBC News/Marist poll.
Biden came out with 27% to Sanders' 23% among registered Democrats, falling within the margin of error for Democrats included in the poll, reports the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
The survey was conducted among 2,382 registered voters from Feb. 18-21, with an overall margin of error of 2.6 percentage points, but the margin of error for the 539 Democrats included was plus or minus 6 percentage points.
Biden's totals included voters who remain undecided but who are leaning toward a candidate or who have already voted, Marist noted.
Their closest competitor in the poll was billionaire Tom Steyer, with 15% of the likely Democrat voters, and another 27% of the Democrats said they can still be persuaded.
Biden also outpaced competitors by double digits among Democrats who identify as moderates, who are African American, or who are age 45 or older:
- Moderates: Biden, 38%; Sanders, 15%; Steyer, 15%.
- African American voters: Biden, 35%; Sanders, 20%; Steyer, 19%.
- Voters 45 or older: Biden, 34%; Steyer, 18%.
- Women: Biden, 28%; Sanders, 20%.
Sanders, meanwhile, came in ahead among Democrats who identify as progressive, who are under the age of 45, or who are white:
- Progressive: Sanders, 35%; Biden, 20%; Steyer, 16%; Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 13%.
- Under 45: Sanders, 40%; Biden, 14%; Warren, 14%.
- White: Sanders, 26%; Biden, 18%; former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 17%.
- Sanders and Biden were statistically tied among men, with Sanders at 26% and Biden at 25%.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's job approval stood at 51% among South Carolina residents, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., appeared well-positioned to be reelected, with 54% of registered voters backing him.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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